Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If anything is familiar, it is not mine! Rated T for language.
Warning: Mentions of torture and sexual assault (nothing too graphic!)
The next few days passed similarly, with a dark cloud over the Burrow. Percy and Arthur went back to work, and Percy also went back to his apartment. He still came for dinner, but he spent his nights at his home. During the day, Bill, Charlie, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny would go to Hogwarts to help with the reconstruction of the castle. George and Molly stayed home, neither ready to head back to work or the castle, not that anyone expected them too. The castle work kept everyone involved busy and exhausted. They would work all day, go home for dinner, and then crash. Charlie, Harry, Ron and Hermione in particular would crash, as they were doing a lot of heavy lifting and magic. Bill was in charge of checking objects for curses left over from the Death Eaters and Ginny was helping with Common Rooms, Classrooms, and Kitchens.
During lunch on the fourth day of restoration, Minerva McGonagall came running over to where Bill was sitting and eating lunch with Ginny and Charlie. Ginny looked exhausted, and was complaining about how messed up the Charms classroom had been.
"Miss Weasley!" McGonagall said, "I've been looking for you! We need your help restoring the Slytherin Common Room and the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Please come when you finish lunch."
"Yes, Professor," Ginny said, but Bill saw her face lose a little color and she seemed a little bit shakier than she had been a minute before.
"Gin, you okay?" Bill asked.
"I'm fine," Ginny said, "Just tired already."
"You could go home," Charlie said. Ginny rolled her eyes and quickly finished her sandwich.
"Do you think she's okay?" Charlie asked Bill once Ginny left.
"I don't know, but she'll tell us when she's ready," Bill said, however he was positive the 'I'm fine' was the same type that Harry gave the other night.
Bill didn't see Ginny again until much later that day. He was waiting with Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Charlie for her to go home. Ron in particular was exhausted, after falling into the lake and getting scooped up by the giant squid.
"Why don't you four go home and I'll wait for Ginny?" Bill suggested.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked anxiously, "I don't mind waiting."
"Go," Bill said, "You all are tired. I had a much easier day than you did. Besides, you know her. She probably got talking with Luna and lost track of time."
"Okay," Harry said warily. He walked with the others to the apparition spot. Bill returned to the castle and headed off in the direction of the DADA classroom. As he turned the corner, he heard his sister softly reassuring two other girls, one of them Luna.
"It's over," Ginny said softly, as she looked up and locked eyes with Bill. Bill was surprised to see his sister's eyes were red, a sign she had cried recently.
"You're right," Luna said, "Sorry, I'm being ridiculous."
"No, you're being human," Ginny corrected, "What happened sucked, and it's okay to be upset. I talked with McGonagall. She hadn't realized all that had happened. Apparently we did too well hiding everything. Tomorrow, we'll be working on the Great Hall and the Entrance Hall. But for now, it's time to go home. I'm sure your dad will be worried about you if you're not home soon. You can walk to the Apparition spot with me and Bill."
"Thanks, Ginny," Luna said, wiping her eyes.
"Are you going to be okay, Demelza?" Ginny asked, "Do you want to walk with us as well?"
"If it's not too much trouble," Demelza said, "I need to get home before my parents worry."
"It's no trouble," Ginny said, "There's my brother now."
The two girls looked to Bill and he waved, waiting for Ginny to make the next move.
"Let's go," Ginny said, and she held her hands out to the two girls. Demelza and Luna grabbed on, and Ginny led them to Bill.
"Bill, this is Luna's and my friend, Demelza," Ginny said, "And Demelza, this is my brother Bill."
Demelza said hi to Bill shyly and Luna said a quiet hello, and Bill kept talk light with them. He was thankful Ginny led most of the discussion to the apparition point, because he had no idea what was going on. Luna was far too quiet from her usual chattiness that Bill had grown to appreciate while she had stayed with him and Fleur.
"Can you both make it home without splinching?" Ginny asked. Both girls nodded.
"Alright, then, I'll see you both tomorrow," Ginny said, and waited for them to apparate before turning to Bill.
"Sorry I'm late," Ginny said, "They needed me."
"It's okay," Bill said, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. Once again, Bill didn't believe her. Something was off about the way she rolled her eyes, like she didn't have much energy.
"Harry was worried," Bill said, trying another tactic.
"Don't tell him," Ginny pleaded, "Luna doesn't want anyone to know."
"I won't," Bill promised, "But if you want to convince him you're okay, I would wash your face. Your eyes are red."
"Damn," Ginny cursed, quickly running to the sink to wash up.
"Gin, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Bill said.
"Yes, you prat," Ginny said as she dried her face, "There's nothing to tell right now. I got upset listening to Luna and Demelza's stories."
"I don't know if I believe you," Bill sighed, "But I'll let it go for now."
"Thank you," Ginny said, "Now let's go home so I can reassure my boyfriend that I'm fine."
"Oh, boyfriend?" Bill said, "So it's official again?"
Ginny just smiled and apparated on the spot, and Bill followed a moment later.
"Thank Merlin you're home," Charlie said as soon as Bill appeared. Ginny was hugging Harry, who looked slightly confused but glad to have her in his arms.
"What's wrong?" Bill asked.
"Nothing," Charlie said, "But Mum was worried that you and Ginny weren't home yet. She was distraught thinking something else happened at the castle."
"We better go let her know we're home, Gin," Bill sighed, realizing this was going to be the norm for a little while. Ginny nodded and grabbed Harry's hand, and the four of them headed for the Burrow.
"Just in time for dinner," Mr. Weasley said as they walked into the door, "See, Molly? Bill and Ginny are fine."
"Oh thank goodness," Mrs. Weasley said, running to gather her children in a hug.
"Mum, we're fine," Ginny groaned, "I got talking with Luna and Demelza and lost track of time. Bill came to remind me we had to get home for dinner."
"Speaking of, what is dinner?" Ron asked, "I'm starving."
"George and I made roasted chicken, potatoes, and green beans," Mrs. Weasley said, finally letting go of Ginny and Bill and leading them out to the garden. Ginny plopped down in a chair between Harry and George, and Bill ended up on the other side of the table next to Percy and Charlie. He watched Ginny interact with George and Harry during dinner, and Bill knew she was putting on an act for the two of them. She looked exhausted and was mostly moving the food around on her plate to make it look like she was eating. The last time Bill had seen her doing that was the summer after the Chamber of Secrets issue, which was not a good sign.
After dinner, Ginny went up to bed at the same time as Harry, Ron and Hermione, citing exhaustion and a big day ahead. Charlie looked to him and he shrugged. Molly and Arthur began to clean up with Percy's help when George approached Bill and Charlie.
"Is Gin okay?" George asked quietly as he sat next to Bill, "She sort of reminded me tonight of how she was after the whole chamber thing."
"She said that she was fine," Bill said.
"You don't believe her," Charlie said.
"No, I don't," Bill agreed, "She was upset, but she blamed it on listening to others sad stories and traumas. Do we know what happened at Hogwarts this year?"
"No clue," Charlie said, "She only wrote me once or twice, and they were mostly begging me to come home for the holidays."
"No, her letters were always just the good things," George said, "You think this happened at school? Whatever is making her upset?"
"I don't know," Bill sighed, "But I'll figure it out. You don't need to worry about it."
"She always did like you best," Charlie quipped, and George cracked a smile.
"I'll work on her," Bill said, "But you know how she is, I need to let her come to me, otherwise I'll end up with an angry Ginny."
"Don't envy you there, mate," George said, wincing, "I'm going to go up. I'm tired."
"Goodnight, George," Bill said.
"He seemed better tonight," Charlie said as George retreated to the house.
"He did," Bill agreed, "Hopefully he'll have more moments like that. For a few days, I was worried we'd lost George with Fred."
"I hope you're right," Charlie said, "But I am also exhausted. All this heavy lifting sucks."
"You are in charge of dragons," Bill said, raising an eyebrow, "How is this more intensive?"
"It just is," Charlie said, giving Bill a playful shove before heading inside. Bill followed with the last of the dishes and helped his father finish the dishes. Percy had already left for his apartment, citing an early morning.
"Did mum go up?" Bill asked.
"Yes," Arthur said, "She's exhausted and doing the best she can for everyone."
"I know," Bill said.
"Thank you for all your help," Arthur said, "I know you'd rather be with Fleur in France, but I don't think we could function as well as we are without you. Whatever you and Charlie said to Ron, Hermione and Harry the other night has set them way more at ease, and they are starting to let their guard down again. And you being here has been great for the other kids as well."
"Of course," Bill said, "I would never leave you all right now. I need to be with you guys too right now."
"Well, your efforts to help are much appreciated, Bill," Arthur said, "I know we haven't thanked you enough yet."
"Dad, don't worry," Bill said, "I know."
"I'm going to go up and get some sleep," Arthur said, "Your mother went down quickly tonight and I want to try and keep her asleep and get some sleep myself."
"I'll lock up," Bill promised, and his dad headed up the stairs. Once the door was locked and the protective charms were restored (the war had ended, but there were still plenty of Death Eaters out there), Bill decided to check on everyone. His first stop was the second floor for Charlie, who was already dead asleep. He was sprawled across his bead face down and snoring. Bill then moved on to George, who was also asleep. It broke Bill's heart to see George sleeping in Fred's bed, but whatever it took his brother to get to sleep at night was fine by Bill. Then he checked on Ron and Harry, both of whom were also asleep. Ron was snoring away and Harry was curled up into his pillow, as if trying to make himself as small as possible. Bill quietly left the room and retreated back down to the second floor, where Ginny and Hermione were staying. He knocked quietly on the door, just in case either was still up. When he received no reply, he opened the door. Ginny was closest to the door, with Hermione on the cot under the window. Hermione was asleep, seemingly peaceful. Ginny was facing the door and away from Hermione. Bill could tell she was asleep, but she wasn't peaceful. Her cheeks were tear-stained and again Bill had to wonder what happened to get his sister so upset. He sighed as he closed her door and went back down to the sitting room. He knew he should go up to his shared room with Charlie to try and get some sleep, but he couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier.
When he found Ginny with Luna and Demelza, she had clearly been upset. Something had happened near that classroom, something Ginny didn't want him to know. Just the sight of the classroom had set Luna and Demelza off, and most likely his sister as well. Bill knew something awful had to have happened this past year. He finally decided that if Ginny needed him, she would come to him. He turned to his room and allowed himself to fall asleep.
Several hours later, Bill was woken up by a scream. He scrambled to get out of bed, hoping to get to Ginny quickly and before anyone else got up.
"Wassup?" Charlie muttered.
"Nothing, I got it," Bill said, "Go back to sleep."
Charlie rolled over and Bill ran across the hall to Ginny's room. He didn't even bother knocking as he threw open the door. Ginny was thrashing in bed, Hermione standing near her.
"I can't wake her," Hermione said sadly. Bill knelt next to his sister's head, careful of her thrashing body.
"Gin, you need to wake up," Bill said firmly, lightly placing a hand on her arm. He was alarmed when she flinched away from him, curling up into a ball.
"No don't," She moaned in her sleep, "Please."
"Ginny, it's me, it's Bill," he tried again. Hermione had moved back to her bed, watching the scene quietly. Ginny screamed again.
"Ginny!" Bill yelled, finally taking her arms firmly in his hands, ignoring the way she flinched. Her eyes finally opened and she took in her surroundings.
"Oh Godric, Bill, Hermione, I'm sorry," She said hoarsely, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's not a problem," Hermione said.
"Gin, are you okay?" Bill asked.
"Please don't tell Harry," Ginny pleaded to Hermione, ignoring Bill, "Please. He doesn't need to worry about it."
"Ginny, he would want to know," Hermione said softly.
"Please, Hermione, please," Ginny begged, "He has enough on his plate. This dream was nothing."
"This dream wasn't nothing," Bill said firmly, "I've never heard you scream like that before, Gin."
"I'm fine really," Ginny said, "But please, Hermione."
"I won't tell him," Hermione sighed, "It's yours to tell him if you want to. But for the record, I think you should."
"I will if they continue," Ginny promised. Bill knew that was a lie, but wasn't going to throw his sister under the bus. Hermione settled on her bed again and was soon asleep. Bill turned to look to Ginny, who had silent tears running down her face.
"Gin, what happened?" Bill whispered.
"I'm sorry," Ginny squeaked. Bill gathered her in his arms and pulled her blanket around her before picking her up and taking her from the room. He led her outside to the pond area and conjured up a few chairs and summoned a glass of water.
"Ginny, I told you earlier that I'm here for you, and that I'll always be here for you," Bill said, "And right now, I think you need me. You didn't eat dinner, you had a nightmare, and I'm willing to bet that you haven't been sleeping much in the last two weeks."
"I ate dinner," Ginny said defiantly.
"You moved the food around on your plate," Bill said pointedly, "Even George thought you were off. He said he hadn't seen you like that since after the chamber, and I agree with him. And I'm willing to bet your nightmare tonight had to do with what happened earlier with Demelza and Luna."
"Bill, please just drop it," Ginny said, "You don't want to hear this story."
"I might not want to, but I need to, Gin, because it's eating you up," Bill said.
"It really doesn't matter anymore," Ginny said, "It's nothing more than a memory. I'll be fine. I just haven't been able to sleep much because of F-Fred and some nightmares and almost losing Harry. Bloody Hell, I thought he was gone."
"But he's here, Gin," Bill said softly, "He's here and he's alive. And he's worried about you."
"He's Harry," Ginny muttered, "He's worried about everyone."
"But you especially," Bill said, rolling his eyes, "The man is crazy about you. He would do anything to make sure you were safe and happy. And right now, I'm concerned you aren't safe. Ginny, why did you flinch from me?"
"I thought you were someone else," Ginny admitted.
"From the battle?" Bill asked, not quite understanding.
"From a battle," Ginny sighed, "Look, Bill, I know I'm not of age. I know I'm not in the order. But I was fighting battles this year long before the big one. Hogwarts wasn't exactly safe this year, not with the Carrows there."
"What happened?" Bill asked.
"They were awful," Ginny said, "They weren't just murderers, they were torturers and genuinely enjoyed hurting the students in any way possible. Amycus liked dealing with the witches. He got creative a lot of the time."
"Did he ever…you know?" Bill trailed off, afraid of the answer and worried about the implication of Ginny's words. His hands had already clenched into fists and he was angry. But then he noticed how long his sister was taking to answer.
"Merlin, Ginny did he hurt you?" Bill begged, needing to hear her say it.
"If you're asking if he raped me, the answer is no," Ginny said, bluntly, ignoring Bill's flinch, "He got a few of the other girls in my year and the seventh year. He didn't get Demelza or Luna, either."
"What did he do to you?" Bill asked, his jaw clenched. He was pissed off, but he couldn't let Ginny know because she would think he was upset with her, and he wasn't. He was pissed at the Carrows. Bill could taste the bile at the back of his throat but he swallowed it down.
"Well he hated me right away because I am a Weasley," Ginny said, deciding to start at the beginning, "So from day one I was one of his favorite targets. Of course, I didn't exactly keep my nose clean, but I had others I needed to protect. We ran the DA still and helped to train the younger students what they weren't being taught in class. And we kept school morale up by painting signs in the hallways and using Fred and George's trinkets. If younger students began to get caught, some of us would create a bigger havoc to distract the Carrows."
"Merlin, Ginny," Bill said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Couldn't you have protected them a little more quietly?"
"No," Ginny said, "Amycus, he took a liking to punishing the witches immediately, and Snape didn't exactly stop him. At first, he would let the Slytherins practice the Cruciatus curse on us, and when they didn't perform it well enough, he would demonstrate using the biggest troublemaker of the day."
"How many times were you tortured?" Bill asked, his heart breaking for his baby sister. He knew she was a Weasley, and knew that it was more than likely that she was the biggest target for Amycus. If he wasn't already dead, Bill would have been hunting him down.
"A few times a week," Ginny said, "Sometimes more if I wanted to protect a younger student. They liked it when we prevented them from going after the younger students, because we were more submissive and less likely to fight back. Of course, it was really us they wanted anyway. Me, Neville and Luna especially, although Neville was a bloke and was dealt with by Alecto, who went far easier. It wasn't fair for the eleven and twelve year old's to be put through it."
"It wasn't fair for you either," Bill said.
"Anyway, they learned that we were getting used to the pain of the curse, so Amycus decided that some physical pain would be necessary as well," Ginny said, "And he would have us all line up and would hit us, sometimes with his fists, sometimes with a belt. It wasn't pleasant, and it was difficult and embarrassing to hide the cuts and bruises. Some of the other professors noticed and yelled at Amycus, but of course by this point Voldemort had the ministry and there was nothing they could do, except stop giving out detentions. The Carrows, they didn't like that, and decided that they needed to give out more detentions to keep their quota up."
Ginny took a deep breath and Bill marveled at his sister's strength. Here she was, admitting that she was tortured and beat up, and he knew the worst was yet to come, but she was still talking and not ashamed of all that happened.
"At this point, Amycus was missing his free life, shall we say," Ginny said, looking out towards the lake, "Two seventh year Ravenclaws were his first victims. They both came to me and I spread the alarm using the coins from the DA. From that moment on, no girl went anywhere alone, even to the loo. It wasn't safe. But Amycus found other ways to get us by going for the younger kids. Bill, we couldn't let him hurt them like that. So we started acting out to get caught, and the sixth and seventh years would travel alone to take the attention away from the younger ones. When he caught us, he would chain us up in his office, the dungeons or the DADA classroom. We would all pray to be taken to the dungeon, because that meant a beating or a Cruciatus curse. But most of the time, the older students were taken to the DADA classroom. He would stare at us, say stuff, sometimes run a hand up and down our bodies. And if you made a sound, you were his next victim and you were taken to his office."
"Bloody Hell," Bill said, not sure what else to say. Hearing his sister say that they would pray to have the Cruciatus curse used on them, even though the other option was awful, was almost too much to hear. He thought of the poor Longbottoms, who were so damaged with that curse. He didn't know which was worse, the thought of losing his sister to insanity from torture or the thought of her being humiliated and assaulted.
"The only good thing is if he had us, he didn't go for the young ones," Ginny said, "But he was truly awful. I never made a sound, I couldn't let him hurt me like that."
"You know nothing of what he did or could have done was your fault, right?" Bill asked, "Because you did nothing wrong. What he did was nothing short of torture, and you couldn't have stopped him or prevented it."
"I know," Ginny said, "But it doesn't mean I'll forget about the way he made me feel. He made sure we couldn't forget."
"What do you mean?" Bill asked. Ginny shuddered.
"He marked all of us," She whispered, "With a cursed knife. Carved directly into our skin his initials. It will never heal. Demelza asked Madame Pomfry."
"Where?" Bill seethed. Ginny took out her wand and undid a glamour charm before lifting the side of her shirt up, just above her lower back. Bill saw red as he looked at the marks on her skin. The AC was there, shining as brightly as his scars from Greyback.
"Ginny, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you," Bill said, "I'm so sorry you got hurt in this."
"It happened a while ago," Ginny shrugged, "I was angry, and pissed off, and maybe a little scared. But it's over now."
"I can't believe that bastard laid a finger on you," Bill growled.
"You don't hate me?" Ginny asked in an impossibly small voice.
"Ginny, look at me," Bill said. When she didn't he gently grabbed her face with his hands and made her look at him.
"I don't hate you," Bill said, "I love you. You are so incredibly strong for handling everything the way you did. You were in an impossible situation and it sounds like you saved a lot of younger girls from a more terrible fate. I hate that this happened to you more than anything, and I'm so very sorry. But I don't hate you. I could never hate you."
As soon as he finished, Ginny let out a sob and launched herself into his arms, crying freely about it for the first time. Bill held her firmly in his arms and whispered soft reassurances into her hair. He had so many more questions, but knew they would need to wait until she had calmed down a little more.
"Bill, it hurts," She whimpered.
"What does, Gin?" Bill asked, worried for her again.
"My back," Ginny admitted, "Ever since he carved it, it burns. It's always worse when I take the glamour charm off, or when I'm agitated or emotional."
"My scars hurt too," Bill admitted, thinking that her scars sounded a lot like his, "And sometimes I need to soak them in essence of murlap. It might help you as well. Does Madam Pomfry know what the blade was cursed with? That might help us figure out how to treat it."
"I'll try some tomorrow," Ginny said, rubbing her back, "She suspects maybe werewolf venom, and that they got the idea from Greyback. Many of the students get worse around a full moon, and Madam Pomfry thought they sounded similar to your wounds. But she's not sure."
"Merlin," Bill said, knowing how much the scar must hurt if it was werewolf related, "Let's try the murlap tomorrow. If it helps, it's likely werewolf related."
"How long did that go on?" Bill asked.
"It started at the beginning of November, and went until the Christmas Holidays," Ginny admitted, "After a bunch of the students didn't return, the Carrows turned back to beatings and torture curses, as well as some manual labor."
"Ginny that was almost two months!" Bill gasped, "Why didn't you tell any of us? Why didn't you tell me? Especially if Demelza had already asked about the cursed blade? I might have been able to help you deal with the pain."
"Because you would have made me come home!" Ginny said, "And I needed to be there to help direct the DA and protect the younger students. And I didn't want you to worry or feel guilty. If I had told you, you would have blamed yourself for getting hurt by Greyback, which is stupid. It's not your fault and there's nothing you could have done to prevent this."
"Did you ever think about telling anyone?" Bill asked, deciding Ginny was right and didn't want to admit it. He would have blamed himself, and it wouldn't have been his fault. It was all Greyback and the Carrows.
"No!" Ginny yelled, "Because it was humiliating! How was I supposed to tell any of you that one of my professors got off by staring at us and saying disgusting stuff, and if we fought him he would assault one of us? How would that have gone over with my six older, overprotective brothers?"
"Ginny, you know you can tell us anything," Bill said, feeling his temper begin to flare up, "You could have told us at Christmas."
"You didn't even come home for Christmas!" Ginny yelled, her voice cracking, "You were with Fleur, and now as I understand it, Ron as well. Percy didn't come home and I couldn't tell the twins. Charlie was only home for a few days and I didn't want to bother him with my issues."
"It wouldn't have been a bother," Bill said, his voice softer as he heard her voice break, "He would have wanted to help you."
"There is nothing any of you could have done to help," Ginny said, "I still would have insisted on going back, and you wouldn't have understood why. It was a war, Bill. We all had to make our sacrifices."
"But Gin, that could have been a sacrifice too great if he had decided to assault you," Bill said, "Or if they used a curse too long and sent you into insanity."
"I didn't think he would," Ginny admitted, not bothering to address the second part of Bill's statement, "Because we are blood traitors, and he made it very clear that's what he thought of me."
"What else did he say to you?" Bill asked.
"Nothing worth repeating," Ginny said firmly.
"Well, whatever he said, none of it was true," Bill said, deciding not to push her on it, she was reliving enough as it was, "Nothing you did warranted what he did. He was an evil, sick man."
"I know, Bill," Ginny said, "Merlin, I know."
"Does Harry know?" Bill asked.
"Of course not!" Ginny exclaimed, "And you can't tell him."
"Gin, he's going to find out at some point, you should tell him," Bill said gently, not wanting to think about his sister's sex life, but knowing at some point she would be with Harry intimately, and he would see the scars on her back.
"He'll hate me," Ginny whispered, "He won't want me after what Amycus did. He'll hate the marks, that I was marked as someone else's."
"Everyone has scars, Ginny," Bill said, "The man has a scar on his head that literally marked him as Voldemort's. He's not going to care about that, he'll still think you're beautiful. But he will care that you kept this from him, and he'll want to help you. Just like you wanted to help him after the war."
"I wouldn't have even told you if you weren't so goddamn annoying and caught me in a nightmare," Ginny said.
"Oh, I'm well aware of that," Bill said, "But I'm glad that you told me. I hate that it happened to you and your friends, and I want you to know that I'm here if you ever need to talk about it. And I can help you with your pain if you'll let me."
"I will," Ginny murmured, "Are you going to tell Mum and Dad?"
"Probably not," Bill admitted, "I don't think anyone would benefit from Mum and Dad knowing. But I'll probably tell Charlie, just because we sleep on the same floor as you. I won't tell anyone else though, because it's your business. I do think you should tell Harry."
"I don't want to tell him," Ginny said tearfully.
"I know, Gin, but if you want I can be nearby. I really don't think you'll have anything to worry about," Bill said, "He'll be pissed at the Carrows, but not at you."
"Can we stop talking about it now?" Ginny asked, "And can you just hold me like I when I was little?"
"Of course, Gin," Bill said, and he held her, tucking her head under his chin. As he held her, he realized how small she was, as if this was eating her up. He wished he could take away all of her pain, but he couldn't. He could just hold her as she fell apart. He rubbed her back as she silently cried, and Bill let a tear of his own trail down his face, not bothering to wipe it. He hated that this happened to Ginny, and that no one had been there for her to talk to and help her, including himself. He tried not to feel guilty about it, as Ginny was stubborn and when she was determined to do something, even if it meant hiding her horrible year from her brothers, there was no stopping her. From what it sounded like, she had actually been the "help" for other students. They went to her, and she sounded the alarm to try and keep as many girls safe as possible. She wasn't his kid sister anymore, but a young women and a hero. Once she stopped shaking, Bill spoke again.
"Do you want to stay out here, or do you want to go in and sleep?" Bill asked.
"We can go in, but I doubt I'll sleep," Ginny said into his chest.
"I could give you some dreamless sleep drought," Bill suggested, "Charlie and I managed to convince Ron, Harry and Hermione to have some the other night."
"No thanks," She said, "It just makes the nightmares worse later. I'll just sit and read or something."
"Why don't we just sit on the couch then?" Bill asked, "We don't need to talk, but if you want to fall asleep you can."
"Bill, that's not fair to you," Ginny said as she stood up, "We have to work tomorrow and it's not fair for you to lose sleep because of me."
"Ginny, sleep doesn't matter to me," Bill said, sending the chairs back to where they came from, "But making sure my sister is okay does. Besides, I doubt we're going to go to the castle tomorrow. The others will be fine without us. I'm not gonna let you go there again after not sleeping tonight."
"I need to," Ginny said, "For Demelza and Luna."
"How about for once, instead of you taking care of everyone else, you let me take care of you?" Bill suggested, "From what you said, or even hinted at, you took charge of trying to keep everyone safe. It's time for you to let us take care of you and look after yourself. It doesn't make you a weak person or a bad person to take one day to yourself. You need it, Gin, or you're going to run on empty and will just make it worse."
"Fine," Ginny gave in, "But we're telling Harry and the others that I have a migraine, and that you have some Gringotts work to do from home. They can't know."
"Fine," Bill conceded as he opened the door to the house. Ginny followed him to the living room and let him wrap her in her blankets again. She rested her head on his shoulder as he grabbed a book, and began to softly read aloud to her. As a child, that had always put her to sleep, even when she was afraid. Within the hour, she had fallen asleep and Bill wasn't about to move her, so he grabbed another blanket and closed his eyes.
Bill woke up to someone moving around in the kitchen. He looked at his watch and saw that he had only been asleep for two hours. Carefully, he got up from the couch and made sure Ginny was still secure before heading to see who was up. When he got to the kitchen, he saw Charlie in the process of pouring two mugs of coffee. Bill didn't say anything as Charlie turned and handed him one of the mugs.
"Saw you were gone when I got up," Charlie said, "And figured you didn't sleep much. Who was it?"
"Ginny," Bill said, taking a welcome sip of the coffee.
"And?" Charlie asked.
"Is anyone else up?" Bill asked, "It's not something that should be overheard."
"No, I checked before I came down," Charlie said as he frowned, "What happened?"
"I found out what happened at Hogwarts this past year, and let's just say if I knew what was happening, Ginny would have been pulled a lot earlier than the Easter Holidays."
"Bill, please just spit it out," Charlie said, gripping his mug tightly.
"Amycus Carrow singled her out," Bill said, "Not that she did anything to keep her nose clean, but she tried to keep his attention on her rather than the younger witches."
"Younger witches? Not just students?" Charlie said, starting to feel ill.
"Yeah, Alecto took care of the male students," Bill said, not wanting to tell Charlie what happened but knowing he had to, "Amycus started off the year torturing them."
"That bastard," Charlie cursed.
"Yeah, and he would let the Slytherin students practice on them," Bill said, "But when they stopped worrying about being tortured, he got bored and changed it up. It began with just beatings. Once the teachers caught on, they stopped giving detentions. But that just made it worse. Ginny said two seventh years came to her and said that Amycus assaulted them, and Ginny spread the word using the coins from Dumbledore's Army. They tried to protect the younger students as much as they could."
"Was Ginny hurt that way?" Charlie asked, not able to say the word with his sister's name in the same sentence, eerily reminiscent to his older brother earlier.
"She wasn't," Bill said, "But he would stare at them, sometimes get a little handsy. And he used a cursed knife to carve his initials on their bodies."
"Ginny?" Charlie asked, slumping against the counter. Charlie didn't need to ask the question for Bill to know what he meant.
"On her back, just above her hip," Bill sighed, "I'm staying home with her today to try and help heal it. Apparently one of the other girls asked Madame Pomfry if they would heal, and she said no. She thinks it was cursed with werewolf venom, which I clearly have a lot of experience with, so I hope I can at least help her control her pain."
"She's still in pain?" Charlie whispered, horrified.
"Yeah," Bill said, "She's done a damn good job of hiding it. She's been making sure all of the other girls have been okay, and hasn't thought about herself at all. But it's clear that now that the nightmare is over, she's having trouble dealing with it all."
"And she never told us?" Charlie asked, shocked, "Did she not trust us?"
"She didn't want us to keep her home," Bill said, "She said she was the one taking care of people and students."
"Merlin, Ginny," Charlie said.
"She basically said it was a war and that we all had to make sacrifices," Bill said, "She said they used to pray to be taken to the dungeon, because that meant the Cruciatus curse, while the DADA classroom meant leering, and his office meant assault. He would start with a group of witches in the classroom and if anyone cried out or winced while he watched and commented or touched, they were pulled to the office for more."
"Does McGonagall know?" Charlie said.
"From my understanding, she didn't know at the time," Bill said, "No one wanted to tell her because there was nothing she could do. But I believe Ginny made her aware today after Demelza and Luna really struggled cleaning the DADA classroom. It must have brought up too many awful memories for them to handle, not that I blame them. They shouldn't have had to go through that."
"Is she going to be okay? Has she told Harry?" Charlie asked.
"She has not told Harry," Bill sighed, "And she wouldn't have even told me if I didn't catch her in the middle of a nightmare. She doesn't want to worry him, and she doesn't want him to turn away from her knowing what Carrow did."
"He wouldn't," Charlie said, "Harry is too good of a bloke for that. And, as much as it pains me, he loves her."
"I know," Bill agreed, "And I'm not sure she'll be totally okay again. I mean none of us will be the same after this war, not with Fred gone and all we've lost. I wish I could have protected her from this, but all we can do is be there for her now."
"Yeah," Charlie said, "You said she's not going to the castle today?"
"No," Bill said, "I'm going to stay home with her and help her with her scars. She wants everyone to think she has a migraine, and that I'm doing some work from home for Gringotts. She wanted to go today to help Demelza and Luna and the other girls, but I told her to take one day to stop being the strong one and to let me help her and take a day for herself."
"Good," Charlie said.
"And hopefully I'll get her to tell Harry," Bill said, "He deserves to know. She can't wear glamour charms forever, and at some point they will be together more intimately."
"Godric Bill, please don't say it," Charlie moaned, "I still think of her as our baby sister."
"I'll always be your baby sister," Ginny said quietly and both of her brother's heads spun towards the doorway.
"How long have you been up, sprite?" Bill asked.
"Long enough," Ginny sighed.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Charlie said, as he wrapped her in a hug. Bill let out a sigh of relief when he saw she didn't flinch away from Charlie.
"Yes," Ginny said, "Like I know you'll always think of me as your baby sister, which is why I couldn't tell you two. You would have made me stay home, and then no one would have been protecting my friends and the young ones."
"You are worth protecting too," Charlie said. Ginny just shrugged, taking a sip from Bill's mug of coffee.
"Gin, you need to know you're worth being safe and protected," Bill said, "I know I said it last night, but I need to hear you confirm that you know it."
"I know," Ginny whispered, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Charlie said, gently reaching for her chin and tilting her face so she was looking him in the eyes, much like Bill had earlier that morning, "None of what happened was your fault. You have no need to apologize, and I don't want to hear you say it again."
Ginny just nodded and wrapped him in a hug again. Bill put a hand on her shoulder and looked at his watch again.
"Gin, if we want our little plot to work today, you should head back to the couch and try and sleep again," Bill said.
"I don't want to sleep," Ginny mumbled.
"I think you should, Gin," Charlie said, "I know you didn't sleep much last night."
"Then Bill should too," Ginny challenged.
"I will when everyone leaves," Bill promised, "But for our charade to be believable, they need to think I'm getting ready to work."
"Fine," Ginny huffed as she headed back to the sitting room. Charlie looked to Bill with a poorly concealed smirk.
"Good luck today," Charlie snorted, "Let me know how it goes."
"I will," Bill sighed as he sat down to drink his coffee, "Be sure to keep this to yourself, and to keep Harry, Ron and Hermione distracted today."
"They won't need much distracting," Charlie grinned, "McGonagall has them working on the Quidditch Pitch. That'll keep them busy for weeks. It really took a beating."
"Anything to keep them busy," Bill said, "We don't need them worrying about anything else. Hopefully by tonight, Ginny will be feeling better and more herself."
"And I'm assuming this stays between us?" Charlie asked, "I can't imagine she'd want Mum and Dad to know, or Ron, Percy and George. Hell, I'm still surprised she told you."
"She only told because of a nightmare," Bill said, "She made that very clear. But yes, we should absolutely not tell Mum, Dad, and the rest of our brothers. That's for her to tell in time."
"Meaning we'll be the only two to know," Charlie sighed, "Other than Harry. No way she tells anyone else."
"If that's the way she wants it, that's the way it will stay," Bill said firmly, "But we should stop talking now, I hear movement upstairs."
AN: Thank you for reading!